Skip to main content

How To Review Craft Beer

Image
By

Are you interested in reviewing craft beer?

Whether or not you intend to share your reviews with others, the process of reviewing beer can be a lot of fun if you enjoy beer and writing.

It also adds intentionality to the act of drinking beer. I've personally found that it aids in the moderation of my beer consumption. Reviewing a beer forces you to take your time and slows your drinking.

I've evolved my approach over the years but it is ultimately rooted in common practice for beer reviews and beer judging. (Judging is something that happens at home brewing competitions where certified beer judges evaluate beers submitted for entry by home brewers.)

Beer is typically reviewed according to four characteristics: appearance, aroma, flavour and mouthfeel. You should also summarize your overall perspective on the beer and, if you're inclined, give it a rating of some kind. (I use a five-point system with half-point increments.) A beer review can be as long or as short as you like—on this website, I aim for a minimum of 150 words and try not too exceed 400 words.

Below, I provide some useful tips and prompts to help guide your own reviews.

Storytelling

Don't be afraid to start your review with a story. Where did you buy the beer? Why did you select it? What do you know about the beer style or the brewery?

Appearance

It's been said that we eat with our eyes and the same can probably be said about drinking. I usually start a review by taking a photo of the can and often the beer itself after I pour it into a glass. Then I take a good look at both before I smell or taste the beer.

  • Packaging: How do you feel about the design of the label or can? Is it interesting or inviting?
  • Colour: Is it a deep, dark brown stout or a bright, golden ale?
  • Clarity: Is it crystal clear or hazy?
  • Head: How thick is the foam? What colour is it? Does it retain well? Does it stick to the side of the glass?

Aroma

Try smelling the beer before you taste it. It might look strange in public but try to get your nose into the glass and close to the surface of the beer and take a good sniff. You want to isolate the smells of the beer from the smells around you. (Personally, I find identifying aromas to be one of the more challenging parts of reviewing beer.)

  • Primary Aromas: What are the dominant scents? Hoppy, malty, fruity, or something else entirely?
  • Secondary Aromas: Are there any subtle nuances, like hints of spice or chocolate?
  • Aroma Intensity: Is the aroma strong or subtle?

Flavour

This is what we're all here for, right? Drink it slowly and really savour the beer so you can be certain you're fully experiencing it. Pay attention to the immediate flavour of the beer, how it might change as it travels across your tastebuds and whether or not there is a distinct aftertaste. Be aware that flavour is highly impacted by temperature. A beer can change significantly as it warms!

  • Taste Profile: Sweet, bitter, sour, or a combination of flavours?
  • Balance: How well-balanced are the flavours?
  • Aftertaste: Does the flavour linger on the palate?

Tip: Hop flavours and aromas are often expressed with the following descriptors:

  • Citrus
  • Tropical Fruit
  • Stone Fruit
  • Apple or Pear
  • Melon
  • Berry
  • Floral
  • Spicy or Herbal
  • Pine
  • Resinous
  • Grassy
  • Earthy or Woody
  • Onion or Garlic
  • Dank or Catty

Mouthfeel

This may be new to you if you're not used to reviewing food or beverages. But the way beer feels as you drink it is really central to the overall experience.

  • Texture: Is it smooth, creamy, or crisp?
  • Carbonation: Is it fizzy or flat?
  • Body: Is it light, medium, or full-bodied?

Overall

This is usually just a concise summary of your overall opinion. Do you like it? Would you drink it again? Would you seek it out at bars or liquor stores?

Rating

A numerical rating out of 5 (in half-point increments).

Popular posts from this blog

Down the New Zealand Pilsner Rabbit Hole

By
There are many different beer styles but the majority are well-established and well-known to brewers. Their characteristics and the ingredients that comprise them are generally understood and accepted. That said, the craft beer explosion over the past decade or two has led to an evolution and expansion of traditional beer canon. New styles have emerged. Some have trended then waned—take white IPAs or India Pale Lagers for instance—while others seem to have completely redefined the brewing industry. (Yes, I'm talking about hazy or New England-style IPAs and pale ales.) New Zealand (NZ) Pilsner is a relatively new and seemingly only loosely defined style. Most articles on the style have been written in the past three years. Popular primarily in its country of origin and among homebrewers, its defining features seem to be that it is brewed mostly with Pilsner malt and NZ-grown hops. Much has been written about hops from NZ, especially Nelson Sauvin , a particularly standout vari...
Read more

Classic IPA by Nokomis Craft Ales

By
This is a quick review of Classic IPA by Nokomis Craft Ales from Nokomis, Saskatchewan. Appearance: Classic IPA comes in a traditional 335mL can featuring clean and simple graphic design. The beer pours a little hazy but has a nice copper colour with head that lasts throughout the glass and leaves thick lacing. Aroma: I smell resinous pine and a touch of candy. Taste: Citrus, pine and just the right amount of sweetness. This is a really well balanced. Mouthfeel: Carbonation is slightly less than medium. Body is slightly fuller than average. Perfect for the style. Overall: It's rare to find such a prototypical example of a West Coast IPA released by a brewery that was founded in the last 10 years. I really enjoyed this beer, which is the first I have tasted and reviewed by this brewery. Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Read more

Naughty Hildegard ESB by Driftwood Brewery

By
The classics never go out of style. Naughty Hildegard ESB is not a new beer to me. Instead, it's an old favourite from earlier days of my foray into craft beer. A friend recommended it to me over a decade ago, advising that it was a decidedly North American take on English Special Bitter. And that it is! Appearance: Naughty Hildegard pours a beautiful copper color that brings to mind classic American craft beers like strong pale ales, red ales and IPAs. I drank this from a classic Spiegelau PA glass. White foam pours thick but ebbs as you drink, leaving just a touch of lacing. Aroma: It smells like fruitcake. In a good way! There's a touch of dessert-like sweetness coupled with the scent of dried fruit. Underneath all of that is a subtle hint of resinous pine. Taste: This beer is sublimely balanced in the old school way with a solid malt foundation and decidedly West Coast hop profile. Caramel malt adds colour and sweetness without overpowering the bitterness and fruit flavour...
Read more